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Donna Oberg was about to order a chicken fajita dinner at Applebee’s in Seattle when she recoiled at the nutritional information.

The entree contained 5,740 milligrams of sodium, well over twice the recommended maximum daily intake; 1,190 calories, about half the recommended daily intake; and 23 grams of saturated fat, just over the daily recommended amount.

She gave the menu a second look and ordered the asiago peppercorn steak instead, with 1,520 mg of sodium, 550 calories and six grams of fat.

“Most people dining out don’t have a clue what they’re ordering,” said Oberg, a nutrition consultant and administrator with the King County Board of Health. “It’s a little shocking when you see what it really is. That’s why it’s important to have the information to make an informed decision.”

In Canada, consumers don’t generally have that option because restaurants are not required to provide nutritional information. Those that voluntarily crunch the numbers rarely make the information obvious at the point of purchase, instead referring customers to websites or keeping the information under wraps unless asked.

King County became a national leader in the U.S. in July 2007, when the board of health adopted regulations requiring all establishments with a food permit to remove artificial trans fats from their cooking process. The regulations also insisted chain restaurants provide nutritional information on menus in sit-down restaurants and on menu boards in fast-food outlets.

Based on industry concerns that the law was too broad, the board passed an amendment in March 2008, limiting the regulation to chain restaurants with 15 or more locations across the nation, and allowing restaurants to display the nutrition information in different ways for “standard menu items” provided the information is available at the point of purchase.

The key, Oberg explained, is for consumers to have the information at their table, including the daily recommended limits.

“Consumers don’t have to request the information. It should be readily available.”

The law, which currently applies to 182 chains in Seattle, took effect in January 2009. A comprehensive study of the impact of the new law is underway.

Anthony Anton, chief executive officer of the Washington Restaurant Association, says he has already made up his mind based on interviews with about 30 restaurant chains.

“If our effort was to get people healthier, it hasn’t moved the bar very far,” he said, noting compliance with the new law cost each restaurant several thousand dollars. “As far as people choosing healthier items or choosing low-calorie items, none of that has really changed to date.”

If anything, he said, the economic recession has prompted restaurant-goers to put a priority on ordering cheaper — not necessarily healthier — menu items.

Laws requiring restaurants to post nutritional information have also been passed in New York City, Nashville, Philadelphia and the states of California, Oregon and Massachusetts — with many more in the works.

The long list of organizations that support a national menu labelling law include the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association of Local Boards of Health, American Dietetic Association and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Anton, too, supports one national law over a hodgepodge of conflicting regulations at the local level that would require chains to produce a slew of different menus.

According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, American adults and children consume on average one-third of their calories from eating out, and children eat almost twice as many calories when they eat a meal at a restaurant compared to a meal at home.

The centre reports that the average American eats out four meals a week — enough to lead to exceeding calorie requirements for the whole week.

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